


The Darkened Priestess

by aidyr



Category: Hololive, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not streamers, Explicit Language, F/F, Fictional Religion & Theology, Fluff and Angst, Having a hard time tagging without giving away spoilers lmao, Hurt/Comfort, OT3, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Rating May Change, References to Lovecraft, Romance, inamesame, zalgo text
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28753725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aidyr/pseuds/aidyr
Summary: There was always a low frequency sort of white noise which plagued the reaches of her mind. Ina’s inner monologue was at constant competition with the damnable whispers of unknown horrors. The words spoken to her were both unintelligible and crystal clear; the incomprehensible amalgamation of elementary and utter nonsense would drive many to insanity. Alas, Ina’nis was not “many.”Inamesame lore fic, fairly Ina centric. Get ready for cute polyshipping, otherworldly evils and confusing magic/time travel shenanigans.
Relationships: Gawr Gura/Ninomae Ina'nis, Gawr Gura/Ninomae Ina'nis/Watson Amelia, Gawr Gura/Watson Amelia (hololive), Ninomae Ina'nis/Watson Amelia (hololive)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 178





	1. The Voices

Some days were worse than others. 

There was always a low frequency sort of white noise which plagued the reaches of her mind. Ina’s inner monologue was at constant competition with the damnable whispers of unknown horrors. The words spoken to her were both unintelligible and crystal clear; the incomprehensible amalgamation of elementary and utter nonsense would drive many to insanity. Alas, Ina’nis was not “many.” Her sanity notwithstanding however, the voices still hurt to an extent. When they grew loud her head would thu’um and her mood would spiral into an abysmal state.

That goddamn book…

There were pros and cons to being the priestess of eldritch beyonds — a vessel for The Ancient Ones. She didn’t necessarily wish to be free of her position but days like this brought her close.

She sat in bed with a blank stare. The headache, the shouting, the garbled mess of primordial tongues… She sighed and reached for her phone. She had slept till noon, both her mind and body felt like TV static. It was going to be a long day.

She sometimes wondered if ignoring the whispers counted as blasphemy, but there came a point she simply couldn’t be bothered to decipher their cryptic balderdash. If The Ancient Ones cared about being ghosted, maybe they’d shut it and wait until Ina was in a better mood.

Then again, when the whispers involved such pleasantries and prophecies as,“á̵̱n̷̞ ̵͗͜ė̷̹y̵̳̚e̷̜̒l̷͔̉e̷̤s̶̤͑s̷̞̄ ̸̡̀a̵͕̋b̷̺͆o̶̹m̶̘͂i̷͆ͅn̸̗̓a̴̼͊t̷̤͛i̶̳͊ô̸͉n̸̰̊ ̴̮͐ẁ̸̭ī̷̱t̷̠͗h̸̡͒ ̶̤̍s̷̢̓e̷̩͘v̷͙̅e̸̤̊n̵͙ ̶̰̍m̶̮ǒ̴̧u̸̞̒t̷͔h̵̢̒s̸̰̊.̸̮̄” Ina supposed it was within everyone’s best interest she be reminded 24/7, so as not to somehow forget about “h̸͙͆e̴̹̍ ̸̳̉w̷̯̕ḣ̵̠o̴̻͆ ̷̳̀h̶͍͌i̶̙͐d̶̨̾e̴̝̓s̶̲͝ ̷̳͗b̶̧̕e̷̦͑ḧ̶̝i̵̗͠n̴̛͎d̶̘̐ ̵̹́t̶̹͊h̶͇̅e̸̳ ̷͍̃w̴͙̆a̴̻l̶͎̉l̴̜͝.”

Ina was tired.

Sluggishly, she rolled out of bed and stumbled into the living area of her humble abode. The place was small and not particularly extravagant. She didn’t mind the limited space. Not one to feel claustrophobic, Ina found the small living quarters more cozy than constricting. She cringed at the hammering within her skull and went to make a nice, warm cup of coffee. She’d need the boost.

As she waited for her liquid energy to brew, she pondered what she could do for the day. She didn’t for the life of her feel like studying, but if the anguishing shouts which infested her brain were any indication, the book was feeling rather self important. She narrowed her eyes at the thought; that her book had a mind of its own. She wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case, in fact, sometimes she could swear the battered leather binding moved as if it were drawing breath.

It should’ve been disconcerting, but these days, a living book would be nothing if not mundane.

A sudden, shamelessly loud knock at her door caused the priestess to jump. She thanked The Beyonds that she hadn’t been holding her mug, because if she had, she’d be covered in scalding hot coffee. Once over her little fright, Ina huffed in annoyance and marched to the door. She didn’t wait long to open it, and was met with two familiar faces.

Amelia Watson and Gawr Gura, the latter of which was wagging her tail like an excitable puppy, had decided to drop by unannounced. Which was… sweet, Ina decided. If a little untimely. Not that she’d ever turn down a visit from her loving partners, but considering the audacious mood of The Ancient Ones that day… 

Ina offered a lopsided smile. “Oh… Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon yourself,” Ame answered with a soft grin. “Sorry to show up all of a sudden, but we were in the neighborhood and… y’know…”

“You missed me?” Ina finished with a knowing look.

Both shorter women nodded and blushed. “We always do,” Gura spoke. “Can we come in? If you’re not too busy that is.”

Ina was most certainly busy. Or at the very least, her book was adamant on getting her busy. She really should turn them away but… Ina felt weak to their hopeful smiles. She sighed and stepped aside, motioning for them to enter. “Come on in.”

The voices hissed.

Ina frowned.

Amelia was first to step inside. She leaned in and gave Ina a quick kiss and the priestess swooned at the innocent greeting. Gura was next, who after walking past, turned and pressed a kiss of her own to the back of Ina’s neck. The Atlantean’s lips left a tingling feeling in their wake and Ina’s face flushed bright red.

“Cute.” Ame chuckled. She took Gura by the hand and led them both to Ina’s couch, where they sat and waited patiently for their third to join them.

After closing the door and making a quick pit stop to turn off the coffee maker, Ina found her way back to the living room and took a seat on the sofa’s far left, next to Gura. “I hope you won’t mind if I do some reading while you’re here,” Ina spoke softly. “The voices are… loud today…”

At that admission, both the shark and the detective frowned sympathetically. They knew how things could get.

“Oh well… We can leave if you want?” Gura offered. “Sorry. We didn’t know today was one of those days.” Amelia nodded in agreement.

“No, no. It’s fine.” Ina spoke past her headache and through the dread she felt welling in her gut; it was the same dread she felt whenever the voices grew loud and more ominous. It was a deep-down feeling of inevitability and it was a feeling she’d grown to despise. Ina blanched a little with each dark prognostication.

Watson had a keen eye, and the discomfort never went unnoticed. “Really Ina, if you’re busy and not feeling well… We don’t wanna make you feel shittier than you probably already do.”

She shook her head, and leaned fondly against Gura’s shoulder. “Nah… I probably _should_ kick you out, but… I like having you around.”

“I’d sure hope so,” Gura smirked. She kissed Ina’s forehead with an uncharacteristic gentleness. “We _are_ your girlfriends.”

Ina hummed and nuzzled Gura’s neck. She returned the kiss from earlier, and Gura squeaked at the unexpected advance. Ina could hear Amelia’s amused chuckle as well as the soft _pomf_ of Gura playfully digging her elbow into Watson's side.

A few moments passed by quietly, and Ina thought to herself, _well… I can begin studying in a bit… for now…_

She adjusted to wrap her arms affectionately around Gura’s torso and buried herself further in the shark girl’s neck. “I actually do feel pretty terrible.” She mumbled. “I need to study but… can you guys maybe… cuddle me for a bit? So I feel less terrible…”

It briefly occurred to her that she left her coffee in the maker, but that didn't matter when she saw the faces of her favorite people light up in excitement.

“Duh.” Amelia answered, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. The sparkle in her alice blue eyes gave away her elation though. The blonde got up and moved to Ina’s other side. They switched positions so that Ina was in the middle of the sofa between her lovers. After some fumbling around they found a comfortable position wherein Ina was resting on Gura’s chest and Ame laid beside her, arms wrapped around Ina like a body pillow.

Ina smiled.

The voices shrieked.

* * *

B̶͔̃e̴͕̓y̵̢̽o̷̥͒n̵̯͂d̸̤͋ ̶̘͗t̷̡̄ĥ̸̝ẽ̷͇ ̸̡̓P̷̘͘ẽ̶̪n̵̰̾i̶̫̍n̷̩̚ś̵͉u̸̼͒l̶̡͆a̴͙̓ ̴̲͝o̸͓f̷͇̓ ̶͑͜B̷̲̑r̴̬͑ô̴̲ḳ̸̕e̷̟̅n̴̠̿ ̶̥̆D̵̰̂r̵̺̂e̷̥͆ȁ̶̭m̶̝̐š̵̝ ̶̲̿ä̸͓ṇ̷̉d̷͖̃ ̵͔̓d̶͚̂ĕ̸̞ě̵͕p̷̠͘ ̸͍̆w̵̢̏ì̶̻t̶̞̏h̴̢̒ȋ̴̘n̸͍͊ ̶̻͝t̸̛̻ḧ̴͇́e̴͖̊ ̸̭̎Ḷ̵͋o̷̥̊c̸̤͑h̷̖ ̶͖̈́o̴̲̔f̸̫̆ ̵̜͛B̸͙͒i̷̲͒l̶̡͘e̸̦̓ ̴͔̓-̴̳͋ ̷̻̽s̶͖͆u̶̡͛r̴̟͐r̷͇o̶̟͠ṵ̷̊n̸̯̊d̷̖͝ë̸̞́d̴̗̏ ̸̃ͅb̸̤̚y̸̥̿ ̴͓͆f̶͠ͅo̴̢̾ř̸̢e̷͇͑s̴̜͝t̷̨͠s̸̞̈́ ̷̈́͜ō̵̭f̶͍̉ ̴̡̄b̴͖̾l̵͙o̵̢̍o̸̢̿d̴̘̉ ̷̖̚ả̶̖ņ̴̆d̴͎͂ ̵͖̓b̶͋ͅö̸͚n̴̟̆ë̴̫ ̵͓̓-̷͕͗ ̶̍͜r̸͕͊e̵̯̕ŝ̸̫ì̷̝d̸̤̄ḙ̸̇s̷̠̉ ̴̨͒t̸̬̑h̶͙͘a̷̼̾t̶̳͆ ̶͎̋w̶͕̓h̷̟î̵̻c̶̬̑h̷̒͜ ̶̮̅c̸̱̐a̶̪̍n̸̗͛ṅ̴͕o̶̫̚t̷̥̎ ̵̡͛ḃ̵͚ẽ̷̦ ̷̜̕n̵̰͝a̸͜͠m̷̱̃ẽ̵͓ḍ̸͆.̴͈̈ ̶̟͒H̵̤͋į̸͠s̷̢̒ ̵̹̌m̴̞͋a̸͔͋ṅ̴̮y̶̫͛ ̴̢̔m̴͖̊o̷̱̿u̸̙̿t̸͕̚h̶̠̒s̵̘͐ ̷̤̏a̸̱̿l̷͉̈́l̷̝̑ ̴͕̄s̴̡̆c̸̢̍ṙ̷͚e̷̺̊a̵̹͋m̵̭̾ ̸͈̄ą̸̒ ̷̼̃d̸̖̄ǐ̵͈f̸͈̚f̶̝̈é̴͔r̶̻̈́e̸̡̋n̵͎̂ţ̷͛ ̴͈̊ț̶͑o̸͖n̵̲̾g̸̬̋u̶̧̎ê̶̲ ̵̡̚a̸̮̓n̵̯͋d̸͈̉ ̴͙̕h̶̠͆i̵̤̍ś̷̻ ̵̟̊t̷̪̃h̷͕͐o̶͈ủ̷̗s̵͚͑a̴͕͑n̷͍͑d̷͙̄ ̴̩͒e̶̎͜y̵̳͝ē̵͎s̷̠͌ ̸̫͆ĥ̶̦a̴̢͑v̴̮͛e̸̥̎ ̸̪̈́s̸̞̿ẹ̴̾e̸̙͝n̶̹̓ ̸̞̾ṱ̵̈́ḫ̷͠e̶͙͝ ̷̥͌ẹ̵͆n̵̤̚d̵̳͆ ̷̰̅o̴͕̕f̵͕͛ ̵̨͌t̶͓̓i̴̭͆m̵̤̏ȅ̴͜ ̷͙̇f̶̛̣o̸͓̕r̸̮̚ ̴̳̉e̷̝̓v̴̯́ĕ̷̞r̸̙̓y̵̲͗ ̸̬͑ü̸̫n̴̳͌ȉ̴̲v̴̳͊e̴̳̎r̸̜s̷̗͛e̴̘̿ ̸̤̀a̸̙̒n̵͝ͅd̸̙͋ ̵̻͛ạ̶͑l̷͉̃l̷̩̈́ ̷͕̈́ẃ̴̹h̸̖̚o̵̔͜ ̸͖͑ḙ̶̊x̴̝͠i̸͑͜s̴̝͘ṭ̴͌ ̷̐ͅi̶̘͘n̸̨̄ ̴̯̋b̸̩͆ȅ̷̼t̸̻̚w̵̡̽e̶̮̽ḛ̵͠n̶̫̍.̵̪͠ ̷̙̀T̴̺͛o̸̹̒ ̴̤̈́s̸͓̉e̵͉͝ȇ̷̡k̶͔̍ ̶̺̽h̸̩̄i̸̖̇s̶̳͠ ̴̲̿k̶̳̋n̶̜̿o̷̬̔w̸͇ḻ̶͝e̴̩̎d̷̯̑g̵̲͌e̶̱̾ ̸̠̃t̶̩h̵͗͜e̶͈͝ ̴͇̈́s̵̮̀a̶̞͋ç̵̽r̵͕͋i̸̻̒f̵̫̔i̷̟̍c̷̭̈é̷͇ ̵̱̔ö̴̲f̵͕͝ ̶̡͠a̷̽ͅn̶͔̍ ̵̹̑i̷̹͝n̶̳̕ñ̸͖o̷̻̎c̷͇̽ḛ̴́n̴͕͒c̸̢̎e̴̖̐ ̵͔͑i̷̪̽s̶̰̽ ̴͔̇c̸̻͌o̵̳̒m̷͍̈́p̴̙̊ų̵̐ḷ̸̆s̵͕͗o̵̲͗r̸̝y̶̱̐;̵̥͑ ̴̃͜m̷̍͜a̴͖̓y̴͔̓ ̶̚ͅT̷̗͌h̷̝̋e̷͖̅ ̷̻͌K̴̖̊í̴͈n̴̢͝g̴͑ͅ ̸͓̌i̴͔͆n̷͝ͅ ̷̘̋Y̵͌ͅe̶̯͝ĺ̷̡l̷̓͜o̵̩͊w̴̩͗ ̵̧̑h̶̞͘a̷̖̚v̴͉͗e̴̙̔ ̷̧͒m̸͉̊ĕ̴̳r̸̛͉c̴͍͘y̴̨͝ ̴͙̔o̶̗͛n̴͚̾ ̵̠̋h̴͖̓e̴̬̅ ̷̢́w̸̙̌h̴̯̽o̴̪͋ ̷̢̆c̷̯͋o̷̝̔m̶͔̿ṕ̶͔l̷̟̈ē̵͈t̷̻͑e̵̿͜ṣ̷̐ ̴̡͌t̸̮͆h̶͠ͅḙ̵̛ ̶̖̂r̸͓͋i̶̤̍ẗ̶̠́u̴͙͋a̴͈̿l̸̨.̸̘͘

* * *

She had fallen asleep. That was a grave mistake.

Upon waking she found herself lovingly encompassed by the warmth of her girlfriends. Usually that would be a blessing, though unfortunately, she was too distracted by the hellish agony wracking her mind and body to focus on how pleasant the cuddles were.

“Shit-” she cursed beneath her breath. Gura and Ame had fallen unconscious as well, and Ina didn’t wish to wake them. She quietly maneuvered away from their sleeping bodies as carefully as she could manage with what felt like a spear digging through her stomach. The Ancient Ones really knew how to keep her motivated, didn't they?

She mumbled a series of mantras — words which would allegedly placate the cries of the primeval tome. It was one of the first incantations she had learned. The success rate was only 50/50 however, and today luck wasn’t on her side. The chant roughly translated to “find silence, find peace, find tranquility” and it was more of a plea than a magic spell. Perhaps it’s success was entirely dependent on how accommodating and helpful the dark lords were feeling.

Growing frustrated, Ina rushed to locate the book. She had no time for respite, it’d seem. It was definitely time to study. She found the book where she left it, in her closet on the top shelf. She grabbed and made quick work flipping through its tattered pages. She needed to do something to shut it up. The voices were so loud she might actually start to cry if the screams persisted any longer. She settled on a short, relatively simple passage and quietly read aloud:

“F̶͇̿ǭ̶ṟ̶̒ ̷̝̅ť̴͔h̴̘̒e̵̗͝ ̸̬̅d̶̦͒ă̶̻r̵̭̍k̷̢̍e̶͎͝n̶͚͂ḙ̴̐d̶̗̈́ ̶͙̓p̸̗͒r̷͓̆ḯ̷̜e̷͈͆s̵̯͂t̶̢́ě̴̜s̸̗̓s̵̩̚,̴͓͑ ̷̙̑ẅ̴̼é̸͎ ̴̘̉ȏ̴̥f̷̭͋f̵͍̉e̷̙̽ṟ̸̚ ̷͔͆t̶̡͝h̸̼̅ị̵̾s̷̬͋:̸̫̄  
̵̞̒  
̷̺̒Ã̸̤ ̷̛͖c̵͚̔ḧ̷̞a̴̠͐ṅ̶͙t̷̘͂ ̶̻̄w̵̝͒h̴̙̾i̸̠̎c̴̦̾h̶̻̃ ̴̱͑m̵̫̓a̸͚͊ỵ̵͝ ̶̯̿i̶̦̾n̴̛͉v̵̱̌ó̸̯k̷̨̔ę̵̾ ̵̝t̴̼͂h̵͈̽e̶͖͝ ̷̨͝s̵͍͂o̶̪͠u̴̱̒l̶̛̮ś̵̻ ̸̬̋o̸̞͠f̸͓̉ ̷̱̌h̴̢͊ę̸̽ṟ̷̛ḙ̸̽t̸͖̄i̶̠͘c̵̬̃s̷̼̓ ̶̣̑a̸̪̔n̴̛ͅd̷͚͆ ̷̤̽b̸̳̎l̵͉̏a̴̓͜s̶̝͂p̸͔͒h̷̞̀e̵̛̠m̴͙̽e̴̜̐r̷̙̽s̸̪̿.̵̟̈ ̵̥̊C̸̮̓a̵̛̠l̴̼̆l̵̡̽ ̸͍͒ȗ̴͉p̴͎̏o̶̲̅n̷̬͒ ̷̰̋t̸̥̓h̵̳̑e̸͇͝ṃ̴͠ ̶̟̋a̸͉͘n̵͇͝d̶̜̃ ̴̠̈́m̵̨̈a̸̛̜k̷͍̄e̵̝͗ ̴̞̋ǘ̸͎s̵̭͐e̷̢̋ ̴̛̱ȏ̷̡f̵̖͝ ̷͊͜t̸͈̕h̸̥e̶͕̕i̴̟͌ř̶̰ ̸̦͝s̶̹͝h̵̬̓a̸̲͑m̴̨e̸̙͋;̵̫͌ ̵̫t̶͍̊ú̷̬r̴̫̽n̶̹ ̶̠́t̷͕͗h̷̼̀ȅ̴̺ȉ̸̗r̶̪̂ ̴̩͝ṱ̵̊a̵̱͆ṙ̷̬n̶̠̉i̸͇̐s̸̘̈́h̸̤͛e̶̮͒d̵̞̽ ̴͓̒s̷̫͂o̸͒ͅu̸̦l̷̰̃s̷̜̅ ̵͇̔i̴̞͌n̸͑ͅt̶̯̔o̶͕͂ ̵̠̒a̴̩͛ ̴͝ͅṟ̸̍e̷̩̊s̷͎̎è̸͚r̵͕̄v̸̥̈o̵͚͗i̶̗͂r̴͉̐ ̷̯̈f̷̰̕r̸̺̚ǫ̶̇m̴̮̀ ̸̱̃w̸͔̑h̶͙̏ị̴͊c̵̪̔h̵̕ͅ ̶̜̈́ö̶̭ṉ̸̏e̷̱̓'̸̭̈s̷̲̋ ̷̦͐c̴̲͝ö̵́ͅn̴̖̓j̷̺̈́u̶͕͠r̷͈͠a̵͙̐t̴̻̽i̸̬͐o̴̹͐n̷̟̈́ ̶̣͝m̴͇̔ȋ̵̗ḡ̶̢h̷͚͛ṫ̷͍ ̸̝͋ḍ̴̂r̶͎͊ḁ̴̛w̵̖͒ ̵̣i̵͔̾t̵̯͆s̶̺͑ ̸̲͝p̸̗̃ǒ̷̝ẇ̸̟e̶̥r̴̙̋.̴̗ ̴̲̈́S̵̙̈́p̴̢͝ḛ̶̕a̷̱k̵̹̎ ̵͍́ț̴̓h̶̰̚e̷͕̓s̸̢͝e̷̜͝ ̷̢̋w̸̦͛o̵̫r̵̙͠d̶̅͜š̸͈ ̸̫͠ȃ̷̗n̷̫͠d̶̠ ̸̘̚ť̷̘h̵̡͛ẽ̵͙î̴͎r̵̝͂ ̶̲̈́e̵͓s̴͈͠s̴̀͜e̸̞͛ṅ̶̺c̴͈̊e̵̯̔ ̶̄ͅỉ̵̙s̷̱̎ ̵͍͝y̵̪̌ō̴̡u̴̯͝r̶̼͘s̷̼̔.̸̥͐”

The shouting lessened to an anticipated murmur as Ina skimmed the moving letters and form-changing images. She hesitated, unsure about performing an amplification sermon while her lovers lay to rest in the other room. Who knows what would happen should she speak the forbidden words, much less what might happen to those nearby. Such unknowns are why Ina always preferred isolation as she studied.

Thankfully the voices remained quiet when she bookmarked her page and closed the tome. Presumably The Ancient Ones could sense her intentions and knew they’d soon be fed through the expanding knowledge of their vessel. They allowed Ina a moment of peace as she gathered her things and left.

 _They’re not gonna like me disappearing like this…_ Ina thought, closing the door. _But they’ll understand._

Ina sighed. She left her coffee, her partners and her cellphone behind.

The voices giggled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus this begins. I'm not 100% sure how long this will end up being, but oh boy I'm ready for this ride. Not a lot to say at the end of this chapter, being chapter one and all. But thank you for reading. Inamesame is a high quality, god tier ot3. I may post one shots here and there as I'm writing this, depending on how long it ends up being.
> 
> Here here for lore fics :)
> 
> Y̷͛ͅò̸̮u̵̙̚r̷̭̒ ̴̳̚f̸̹̏l̴̻̊e̸̻s̴̙ḧ̸̤́ ̴̜͊a̴̝̐n̶̘̒d̶͙̑ ̵̧̊b̷͈̅o̶̝̍n̶̤̒e̴̱̓s̶͖͑ ̶̦̔ȧ̴̭r̴̝̈́e̴̻͊ ̷͖̓b̷̤̍u̷̺͐t̶͉̒ ̷̠͝s̸̪̿t̷̤͒ȁ̵̢ṛ̴̽d̴̖̏u̵̢͝ś̵͔t̶̹̄;̴̺̍ ̷̗ţ̴̕ḫ̵͛e̵̐ͅ ̷̱͛l̶̟̈́ẽ̴̟f̶̞̍t̵̟̑ő̷͙v̴̤͒ē̶͜ṙ̴̳s̶̗͠ ̵̗̂o̵̝̓f̶̠̔ ̶̯̀s̵̞̄ũ̶̞p̵̡̈́e̴̩̾r̶̳̈́n̷̝̈o̷̬̐v̴̯͗a̴̛̯s̶̯̀ ̸̞͘c̷̗̽r̴̜̀u̵̪͝s̶͓͑h̵̞̒e̶̟̽ď̸͇ ̸̘͝b̸̰̂e̴͉̚t̴̢͂w̵̭̔ḛ̴͝e̶̗͆n̸̳͑ ̵̞̒ẗ̵̖́h̷̠̉ę̸̉ ̷̼̀ṫ̵͚ë̴͇e̵͍̓t̵̤͝h̷͝ͅ ̶̟̎o̸͙͌f̷͖͂ ̸̠͐a̸̛͙n̶̝͗c̷͖͠i̸̼̅e̴͜n̴͓̓ẗ̶̨́ ̴̟̎e̶̤l̵̨̏d̶̝͐ŕ̸̞í̶̠t̸̗͗c̴͈̽h̶͈̋ ̴͔͛ṳ̶̾n̶̩̈́ḵ̸̓n̶̮͂o̶̟͠w̷̧͠n̶̼͑s̷̮̕.̸͘͜ ̵̘̎I̸͙͌n̸̙͋a̶̜͘ ̸͖́p̷̥͗r̴̺̕à̸͇y̵̨͊s̷̟̕ ̴̥̆y̴̕͜o̶͙u̸̿͜ ̴̭̃n̶̫͋e̵̦͗v̵̹̕e̸̝̎r̶̅ͅ ̴̙̕s̸͍͑p̷͓͆e̵͉͐ȁ̶͎k̶͒͜ ̴̳̑t̸̫ǫ̵̿ ̴̠̚ṱ̷̑ĥ̴̥o̵͈̒s̸̙̾e̶͔͗ ̸̣̊u̸͓͗n̷̬̓k̶͈͋n̴̰̕ǫ̸̓w̵̘ǹ̶͉s̸̹̈́,̵̘͘ ̴̜̀a̷̻͛ŝ̴̺ ̵͉͊s̴̗̈ḫ̸̕e̴̪͊ ̴̙͛h̵̰͝a̷̦͛s̷̜̚.̷̱̂


	2. Fade to Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ina has a chat

On a pleasant spring afternoon, surrounded by cavalcades of gloriously colored flowers, one might expect a peaceful scene to unfold. Alas the gorgeous scenery, agreeable weather and secluded location would not save Ina from the colossal pain in the ass which study sessions tended to be.

She had performed the sermon — one which granted power by the souls of discarded sinners. It was beyond a blesing that she'd had the mind to isolate before continuing. Apparently that particular enchantment had the grisly side effect of absorbing nearby life-forces (to replenish those lost within the Soul Cairn, The Ancient Ones had explained.) Ina felt nagging guilt each time she caught sight of the dead lizard which now lay motionless by her feet.

“Okay,” she muttered lowly. Skimming the letters and watching them wriggle beneath her gaze. “What next…” Utilizing the magic boost given by her _murder innocent lizards_ chant, a surge of confidence encouraged her to try something more powerful than she'd usually feel comfortable attempting.

Passages within the book were marked by an alphabet of confusing, ancient symbols. Each otherworldly shape would denote the purpose and difficulty of a selection; its reading level as well as the magnitude of its effects, should the words be read as an incantation. 

Thus far, Ina had managed to claw her way through the mastery of several symbols. By her estimate, should her overall proficiency be graded by a high school math teacher, she’d be given a solid B in dark arts.

She set her sights on a passage marked “ ̵͚̣͗͆͊͌͊̈͐̍͘͜ ̶̢̢̧̲̤̳̮͈̦͎̩͕̤̦̔̐̃̂̈́̂͋̏͝͝͠ ̴̧̱̍̉̅̀͒͌͝”

It was legible to her at the very least.

Taking a steadying breath, Ina tried to prepare herself for anything. The book itself had helpfully identified this invocation as “the means by which a Darkened Priestess may constitute a deeper connection with her ancient masters'' whatever that entailed… But if she had learned one thing during her years of study, it's that the book often made no sense and she could never let down her guard.

With a focused intent and energy, she opened her mouth to speak.

“B̵̡̊y̸̻͌ ̷̡̽t̵̙̚ḥ̷̑e̸̛̪—̴̫͋”

“— Hey!”

She jumped, nearly dropping the book. As she whipped around toward the intruding voice, her hair danced around her body. Her eyes were wide and she held her breath, unsure who had found her but…

“Ina, woah there.” Ame stepped out from behind a tree with an apologetic simper on her lips. “Sorry, did I scare you?”

Ina felt herself immediately relax. Still though, her eyebrows pinched together and she huffed at the blonde with an unamused glare. “Ame…” She sighed. “For Hastur’s sake…”

“Hastur?”

“Don’t sneak up on me like.” She closed the book and cringed irritably when a myriad of screams all told her to banish the detective then continue her work. “What are you doing here? I left the house for a reason, you know my studies can be dangerous.”

Amelia nodded, and Ina noted the way she rolled her eyes. “Oh believe me, I know. I came to see you before you up and vanish for two weeks.”

“V-vanish…? Two…?” She paused, blinked, then realized… “Ah… You’re not the same Amelia I left on the couch, are you?”

The time traveler shrugged. “Depends on how you'd define _the same_ , but I get what you mean.”

“So…” Ina crossed her arms and tilted her head as she spoke. “How far in the future are you visiting me from?”

“Three weeks.”

“Not two?”

Amelia frowned. “Well… I was kinda pissed off for a bit, not gonna lie.” She scratched the back of her neck, flustered. “I actually did visit you already. One week ago, at your house. I visited while you were still missing… uh, from my point of view. I hope you don’t mind but you’re gonna get an earful from past, er— future-me…”

Ina’s head hurt.

Amelia’s time travel escapades aside however, maybe she should worry that apparently, she'd be missing for a couple weeks.

“So I’m about to go missing? You don’t really seem like you’re trying to stop me.” 

Amelia shrugged sheepishly. “Well… you seem alright now, and you seemed alright after coming back. Actually, you kinda seemed… I dunno, more… aware? Hard to describe. I’m still mad that you didn’t wake us up before leaving… But on the bright side, our mutual worry led Gura and I to having a pretty spicy romp.” Ame paused and winked at the blushing priestess. “If you catch my drift.”

Ina chuckled fondly and shook away the arousing mental imagery that tidbit had conjured. Unable to stay away for long, she stepped forward and lovingly wrapped her arms around the troublesome blonde. Momentarily, she let herself forget what she’d been doing. “I love you, you silly billy.”

Ame’s mouth spread into a soft smile. “I love you too.” Ina felt her cheeks redden when Ame buried her nose into the fabric of her top. “I was really worried while you were away. At least for the week leading up to my last jump.”

Ina frowned. “Why wait so long to see if I was okay?”

“It’s confusing and past-me will explain it. But either way, Gura was beside herself… I didn’t wanna leave to investigate while she was freaking out.”

The guilt Ina felt over a lizard was nothing compared to the sinking feeling which now settled deep in her chest. “I don’t have to go.” She mumbled. “I can deal with the voices…” She’d never wish anxiety or unease upon her favorite people. Even if that meant subjecting herself to the tormenting shrieks which knocked ruthlessly around her skull.

The book didn’t care for that at all.” I̸̩͊ṅ̵̤a̸̢̕'̵̡͒n̶͙̅i̸̹̐s̸̩͑ ̵̬̾y̸̛̤o̵̺ū̵̜ ̷͎â̷̮r̵̘̀e̷̹̐ ̷̫̂b̸̩̄o̴̲u̸͉͑n̸͎̓d̷̗̓ ̶͎͒ţ̸̄o̸̠̽ ̴̳̂ẏ̵̰o̸̯͗u̴͖͐r̴͖ ̴͔̄m̸̧͆a̵̳̋s̶̢̾t̸͔͂e̴̥r̸͉̍s̶͎̐,̵̟̑ ̴̺̀c̷̬̃ö̶́͜n̴͙̕t̸̡̔i̶̟͊ņ̴̆u̵͍̐ê̵̳ ̸̥y̷͎̏o̶͍̾u̶͇̔r̸͇͑ ̸̖̓ẇ̴̠o̵̥̔r̶̫̽k̶̠̄ ̴͉̂f̷͈̄o̷̮̅r̷̢͋ ̷͜t̶̢͗h̶̬̒e̵̘͒ ̷̡̽s̵̨̓a̵̘̔ḵ̸͂e̶͎͂ ̶̧͌o̸̙͌f̵̖̈́ ̶̈́͜o̸̖͆u̷̥͑r̴͊ͅ ̵͓̓e̷̥͠n̷͙͝ţ̸͘a̷̛̟n̶̥̓g̷̯͛l̴̤͊e̸̊͜d̸͜͝ ̶̧̃s̷̘̍ō̷̹ų̵̓l̷͈̈s̷̙͠.̶͈̚”

Ame shook her head. “I already know you’re going to go through with it. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Ina threaded her fingers through the time traveler’s soft, golden hair. “Time travel is confusing.”

“You’re telling me.”

The two parted with giggles on their breath. Ina looked into Amelia’s eyes and found both deep affection and great relief. Ina couldn’t possibly restrain herself and leaned back in, this time to capture her girlfriend in a kiss. She could feel the detective melt against her, as she always did. Ina lingered and appreciated the warmth which radiated off Watson’s face. The way their bodies fit together and the inaudible sounds Ame would make, only to have those noises swallowed by Ina's kiss. It was an experience neither could ever be tired of. When they separated, their cheeks were both painted with a lovely crimson hue. Ina hummed, and asked gently. “How’d you know where I was?”

Watson grinned, a little winded. “You’re gonna tell me about two weeks from now.”

“I hate time travel.” Ina jokingly confessed. “It makes my last brain cell hurt.”

“You and me both…”

Ame stepped away from the priestess and gave her a supportive, if somewhat melancholy nod. “Do what you have to do. And… I obviously _know_ , you come back safe but… please be careful with whatever this is.” She gestured vaguely at the book, still in Ina’s clutches. “All this old-times dark magic bullshit makes me uneasy, y’know?”

“I’ll be careful. I promise.” She tightened her grip on the magic tome. “Tell Gura I’m sorry for disappearing.”

Ame laughed and offered a suggestive titter. “Oh trust me, you’ll apologize on your own. She couldn’t walk straight for a couple days.”

“Oh…” Ina felt her stomach flutter. “G-Good to know…”

A shared chuckle led to a comfortable quiet in which the girls gave each other temporary, meaningful looks.

That wonderfully intimate silence however, came to its eventual end. Ame’s fingers found their way back to her golden watch — as was often the case. Ina watched Amelia twist the notch and listened to the mysterious, ethereal ticking of its uncanny gears. One more glance between them, before Watson vanished; returned to her time.

“See you in a couple weeks…” Ina whispered to nobody but the wind.

She stared into space for a few minutes. She needed a time out, and to process that interaction as well as its implications. Her attention wandered from the place Ame once stood, to a flower, to the sky; taking in her general surroundings as the weight of her impending actions became clear.

She still had no clue about the precise nature of her latest spell. But no matter its intended purpose, it apparently led to her disappearance as well as the grief, confusion and anxiety of her loved ones. Ina considered putting the book down and returning home to cuddle her girlfriends — likely still asleep on the couch. But Ame’s words resonated with her: _“I already know you’re going to go through with it. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here right now.”_ It’d be so easy to defy fate and to break the timeline, but she found herself following her predetermined path regardless. Dwelling on it too long was disquieting and made her feel agitated. So rather than dwell, she opened the book and began to read.

“B̵̙̚y̴͖̌ ̶͎͛t̴̮h̶̨̅ę̸̒ ̸̭̐m̶̼̾i̸̗̔l̷̫̑l̷͇̒i̵̮̊o̸͋ͅn̵̮̆ ̶͈̔s̵̨̍h̴͉̆a̶̝̎t̵̯͠ṱ̴͛e̵͕͌r̸̘̕ë̶̹ḑ̴̔ ̷̥̏ṃ̸̅o̶̻͐o̴̗̾ň̵̲s̴̯͘ ̸͔͋o̶̹̓f̵͈̚ ̸̙͗D̵͓͠a̴̢̔e̷̖͂d̷̢̽ř̸̳i̷̤̿c̶͔̈́ ̵̬͊s̶̗̾k̸̛̼i̶͑ͅe̷̠̐s̸͖̈́ ̵̪͠a̵͍̋n̸̤̋d̷̢̿ ̷̠͐ẇ̷͖ȉ̴͚t̸͘ͅh̷̳͌ ̷̗̓b̵͕͑l̴̠̊e̴̥̓ș̶̕s̴̪͘ì̸̘n̵̗̏g̶͍͊s̵͎̔ ̷͜b̷̑͜y̴͇ ̸͓̐ṫ̶ͅh̵̖̄e̴̫͝ ̴͋ͅN̴̗͗e̷̦̔z̶͙̍p̶̢̈ĕ̵͔r̶̞̓d̴̟̿i̸̪a̶͔̾ṉ̴̉ ̶͕́H̷̬̆i̷͕̓v̶̲̿e̷̜͌m̷̹̔i̵̭̐n̷͕̏ḋ̵̮,̸͚͌ ̴̰͒I̷̤̔ ̵͙͐o̸͕̚f̶̰͑f̴̟̊e̷̞͆r̴̺ ̴̘̈́m̷̩͆y̴̤̆s̸̹̓e̴̫͝l̴͓͌f̸̪̕;̶͓̈ ̸͇̐Í̴͖ ̶́ͅo̸͔̿f̴͙̌f̷̹̂e̸̮͝r̴̙̋ ̷͎͑m̴͊͜y̴̳͂ ̶̘̓m̵̜͌ä̷̜́s̶̙̐t̶̛̫e̷̩̎r̴̼͌s̶͔̅ ̵͎͘a̷̼n̴̨͛ḏ̶̅ ̴̋ͅm̷̲̿y̵͐ͅ ̴̞͑v̷̩̈e̵̹s̷͖̆s̷̟͊e̸̯͊l̶̟͝.̷͍̔ ̴̮͑Ĭ̶͍ ̷̠̏a̶̱͐s̶͙̚ḵ̵̿ ̷̮̊t̸͈̓ĥ̶̠a̷̳̿t̷̞͌ ̶̼͒h̸͚e̶̺͘ ̷̽ͅw̶̗̐ẖ̵̃o̸̓͜ ̴̯̆s̶̖̈́e̶͕̅ê̷͖s̵̨̎ ̷͖̓m̷̬̆i̴̫̕g̸̤̋h̵̭͋ẗ̵̬ ̵̣̈́â̶̢i̸̹̽ḓ̷̇ ̷͉͑i̸̘̅n̵͖͝ ̸͉̿t̶͎̅r̸̡̿a̶̦͝v̸̰̍e̴̱͐l̷͉͂ ̵̼̽b̶̧͝e̶̅ͅt̴͔̊ẇ̷͕e̴͍͝e̴͝ͅn̷̝̈́ ̷͈̕t̷̯̒h̴͈͗ë̷̠́ ̶̠͋r̶͖̃e̵̘͗a̷͌ͅl̴̙̎m̵͜s̵̻͝.̶̪ ̸͈̑M̷̩͝ÿ̴́͜ ̵͔͝h̸̨͝e̴͔ȃ̷̰ṙ̸͖t̸̜̅,̵̧̃ ̶͖͋m̶̥̈́ý̸̫ ̸͔b̶̙̃l̵̯̀o̵̗͂o̵̹̎d̶͙͛,̴̬̍ ̴̣̽m̶̨̎ÿ̸͚́ ̴̱͆f̵̞͗ḽ̶̆ĕ̸̱s̵͔͋h̶͔͐ ̵̳̓î̷̪s̷̤̒ ̸̇ͅh̴͓͗ǐ̶̩s̸̥͐ ̸͍̉t̴͍͊o̷̟͒ ̴̳̂ů̸̼ŝ̶̞e̷̢̎.̴̑͜ ̷͛ͅG̴̛͍ư̸͈i̴̭̇d̷̠͂ĕ̶̘ ̴̺̈́m̸̥̌e̸͙̓ ̴̮͘t̵͙ȏ̴̬ ̴͐ͅm̷̹̊y̸̜̋ ̸͚͑s̷͎̑o̶̲͠v̷͙͊e̵̲͝r̵̡͝e̷̬̾i̷̢͛g̵̟̔ṇ̴s̷͍̎ ̵̬l̶̂͜ẹ̷́s̷̙̎t̵̼̑ ̸̪̀ḿ̸͕ȳ̶̤ ̴͓͋w̷͚̓e̸̺͂e̶͓͝p̸̡͂ï̵̯n̸͕̉g̸̜̔ ̵͎̾h̵̲́ȩ̵͒ā̸̢r̶̢̀t̷͍̽ ̷̻́c̶̠̑r̶̳̈y̷̖ ̴̙̐á̷̘c̶̩̉i̸͚̒d̴̠͒ ̴͇̒ţ̸̀é̵̦a̴̺̔r̶̮͑s̵̰̆ ̷̠͘a̸̱͆ṉ̴̋d̸̲͑ ̴̹̓m̷̟̑y̴̞͒ ̵̱̓ș̸̉ő̷̟u̸̢̎ḻ̶̚ ̴̝̕b̸̦̉ẹ̴̌ ̵͔͑l̶̖͗ȧ̷̜i̷̛̻d̵͇̓ ̶̳͌ṭ̵̉o̷̱̽ ̸̻̕r̵̗͌ĕ̶̖s̷̪̕ṭ̷.̵̝̌”

And the world would fade to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER TWO DONE AND DONE
> 
> Tfw Ame isn't even the main character, but her inclusion is by far the most involved. Seriously I had to make a goddamn flow chart to keep track of where she'd be and what she's doing throughout this story.
> 
> It's late and idk what to write here. I finally finished editing and I just wanna post this. Did y'all see Gura's ukulele stream though? It was members only,, but HHHNG. So fucking cute. Amesame stans were FED.
> 
> Real quick, here's a lil list of inspirations and references I'll be using during this fic: Lovecraft (duh), SCP, Elder Scrolls, Momodora, and whatever I make up. Other inspirations to come, most likely.


End file.
